


in knots

by WritingOnTheWalls



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: 99 per cent angst free, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Sibling Love, bullying & small amounts of violence, smol!jack & smol!lily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 11:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20759774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingOnTheWalls/pseuds/WritingOnTheWalls
Summary: on his third birthday, jack wright learns how to tie his shoes.





	in knots

On his third birthday, Jack Wright learns how to tie his shoes.

It’s an ordinary Saturday - for the most part. Being a weekend, his big sister Lily is home from school, and his mother sends them off to the park with the promise of cake and presents and Jack’s favourite spaghetti dinner waiting for them when they return. 

Lily huffs and rolls her dark brown eyes, tapping her foot impatiently as Jack slips on his bright red spiderman sneakers without undoing the laces, because c’mon. He’s only three, and he doesn’t know how and there’s too much of life to live to bother learning. She helps him fit his arms into the sleeves of his favourite puffy blue jacket and they race each other down the street, hooting and hollering. 

The sun is high in the sky, the birds are singing, and they’re happy. Really happy.

Jack manages to beat Lily to the best swing, even though her legs are longer - he’s pretty speedy for somebody so small, and she’s bad at pacing herself. They sing  _ The Brady Bunch _ theme song at each other, as they fight to swing higher and higher. Jack gets most of the words wrong, but as they pump their legs harder and harder, their singing dissolves into giggles and it hardly even matters. Lily leaps into the air at the height of her arc, and tumbles to the ground with a  _ thump  _ as a screeching Jack flails after her. Lily lands further away, but Jack is pleased with himself either way - he’s usually much too scared to try that particular manoeuvre, but now that he’s three he’s decided it’s time to be brave.    
  
Lily offers him her hand and helps him up with a soft smile and they sprint towards their favourite spot in the park - the sandpit. There are a few other children already piled on top of each other, and the two siblings head towards the empty space in the top right corner of the giant sand-square. Lily proceeds to instruct Jack on how to build the perfect tower, which she’ll then perch atop and boss him around, because well. She’s five, and he has to do what she says, even if he’s three now. There’s an assortment of shovels and pails and digger-trucks littered around the area for communal use, and Jack happily spots (and moves to pick u)p his favourite - a bright red shovel, the same colour as his spiderman sneakers. 

He’s wandering back towards Lily when he suddenly finds himself face-down in a pile of sand. It’s in his mouth, and in his eyes, and he can barely breathe enough to let himself cry. He manages to push himself up, and looks around desperately - because he’s suddenly realised he's no longer holding his shovel. He sees it suddenly, in the hand of a snickering boy. The boy looks about eight - and Jack shrinks away. Eight year old's are Big Kids. You don’t mess with Big Kids, especially when you're only three.

He moves to re-join Lily, but suddenly he can’t see her. 

“That’s my brother’s shovel, you jerk!” 

Before he knows what’s happening, Lily has launched herself from one side of the sandpit to the other, and tackled the (now shrieking) eight year old to the ground, pummelling him in the head with her tiny fists.   
  
Jack, and about six of the other kids start screaming _bloody murde_r, and the eight year old is wailing loudest of all, his arms flailing around in sheer terror.  
  
“Take your stupid shovel!” He yells, throwing it at Jack's feet and pushing her off him in defeat. “I don’t want it anyway, this place is for _babies._"

Jack's stomach drops at that final word, but Lily isn't done. “Say sorry,” she scowls at him, and he moves to defy her, but takes a second look at her balled up fists and relents. 

“Uh, sorry kid.” He says awkwardly at Jack, before rolling his eyes and storming away, a gaggle of other kids following after him, shooting daggers at Lily and Jack.

Lily glares at his retreating figure, until he’s far away that he won’t hear them anymore. She scuttles over to Jack, and inspects him critically. “Are you hurt?”    
  
“N-no.” He says, and he realises he’s shaking. “Are you?” 

“No.” she pauses, looking thoughtful for a moment, before reaching out her hand and once again helping him up. “C’mon Jack, let’s go home.” 

Jack Wright has always been in awe of his sister. She can say all her alphabets without stopping, and she knows a lot of funny jokes and she makes really good toast with raspberry jam. She can even read all by herself - sometimes books without pictures, even. Jack loves her more than anybody in the entire world. 

Now she’s fought off an eight year old for him. An eight year old! A mean one, too. Jack doesn’t yet have the words to tell her he appreciates it, or know how to make her in awe of him, too. He thinks about sharing his birthday cake with her, but knows that was probably a given anyway. It’s probably too late to ask his Mom to make Lily’s favourite chicken pie for dinner instead and Jack doesn’t think she’ll like any of his presents. 

He does know one thing he can do though. One thing that’ll make her smile, and stop her from being annoyed at him, and think of him as a big kid, too. One thing that makes perfect sense in his three year old mind.

So after they stumble through the front door, and regale the story to their mother who only sighs and tells them to be more careful next time, Jack pulls Lily into their play room. He sits her down at her favourite plastic blue chair, and surveys her seriously. 

“Lily, I need you to teach me how to tie my shoes.” 

To Lily’s credit, she doesn’t even tease him or ask questions, only sits him down and patiently teaches him everything she knows. If he could count that high, Jack would know that it took thirty tries to get the loops right, and three hundred and six tries to feel confident enough to complete the whole process on his own - but Lily’s proud smile is worth it. It doesn’t make Jack less of a target for eight year old bullies or make him feel smarter, or braver, or more like Lily, but it helps. Lily will do anything for her little brother, and what else does three year old Jack even need.

Besides his favourite spaghetti dinner, anyway.

* * *

By middle school, Jack Wright’s completely lost interest in tying his shoes. His favourite pair of bright red converse aren’t quite the spiderman sneakers of his youth, but they serve him just fine. He’s too overwhelmed and excited by everything going on around him to take even a minute out of his day to pause and tie his shoelaces. The world moves on, and he only trips over them a dozen times a day - nothing he can’t handle. 

He realises he’s gay during third period on a Monday morning in 8th grade, and tries his hardest to ignore that fact. 

It’d be much easier if his big sister Lily would stop bringing home the most beautiful boys she can find. Most of them are ‘just friends’ but Jack’s seen her kiss more than a few of them. If Lily notices Jack staring a little too-long at her first boyfriend, she doesn’t mention it. 

His 16th birthday is quiet, and his mother buys him a Playstation, and he only cries a little bit - if not for the gesture, for the fact that he knows if his dad were here, he’d be ecstatic too. Lily’s leaving for college in three weeks, and neither of them really want to address the elephant in the room. She hands him a small parcel, which contains a book, a hundred dollars meticulously saved from her part time job and a pair of rainbow laces. 

He looks at her, his brow furrowed, and he’s confused. Even more so when she winks at him. 

“For your converse,” she tells him as they clear the dishes after dinner - Pizza, not spaghetti, this time - and he’s still confused until she glances around conspiratorially. “The colours will clash, but then this way, people will know. But not know. Y’know?” 

Jack’s face heats up, and his eyes grow wide, and a thousand and one panic-related emotions flood through him. If Lily knows, surely she hates him but - But she’s still smiling. 

Jack smiles weakly back, and she pulls him into a hug. “Happy birthday, Jack,” she whispers, “I can’t always be around to help you survive this shitty world, so start tying your shoelaces again, yeah?” 

This time, Jack really does cry. 

* * *

The summer before Jack’s due to leave for college himself, Lily brings Sammy home. He’s gawky, and awkward, and has a bad habit of running his fingers through his shaggy golden hair. His face is set with a perpetual frown, and Jack finds himself endlessly fascinated. 

Sammy is handsome, in a way Jack usually wouldn’t find himself attracted to, but also there’s a quiet confidence that cements him in Jack’s mind as somebody worth knowing. When Sammy compliments Jack’s old red converse with the rainbow laces, Jack falls desperately in love.

Lily and Sammy spend most of their time locked in Lily’s room, talking his hushed, angry sounding whispers, but sometimes the door is left open, and Jack is allowed in. He’s spent thousands upon thousands of hours in Lily’s room throughout his life, but he’s still a little amazed at how readily she lets him into her sanctuary - her life. 

He flushes deeply as Sammy teases him over the dozen-or-so photos plastered on the walls of a much younger Jack and Lily, and eagerly answers questions about his life, his friends, his college degree. Sammy and Lily will only be an hour away - and their similar courses mean that Sammy has a lot to say about Jack’s. The questions don’t stop, and Lily makes faces in faux-boredom as Jack rattles on, but Sammy listens eagerly. 

They spend a lot of the summer loitering in the mall, or eating bad food at the local Denny’s, or trying not to start popcorn fights in the movie theatre. They even go to the beach a handful of times, and Jack and Sammy dance in the water, singing the Pokemon Theme song and talking seriously about their plans for the future whilst Lily gets more and more sun burnt on the shore.

Jack is almost sad to be leaving for college at the end of the summer - although he thinks the tight hug that Sammy gives him as he leaves is almost worth it. They promise to keep in touch, and much to Jack’s delight, they do. 

* * *

Years later, Sammy, Lily and Jack have their own radio show. Then, they don’t. 

Most things are different, but some stay the same. 

Sammy goes almost exclusively by ‘Shotgun’ now, except for when Jack whispers his name, late at night in their shared bed between kisses and touches and ‘I love you’s.’ He still looks at Jack with that same reverence he did that first summer, and Jack still thinks Sammy is the most handsome man in the entire universe (for more reasons than one) and they’re stupidly, desperately in love. 

Jack still has that stupid pair of red converse with the rainbow laces, and he still can barely be bothered to tie them up (especially when he could be researching werewolves or vampires or darkness.) 

It helps him to stop thinking about the blatant darkness that Lily has left in their lives. 

Sammy could never replace Lily, of course. He doesn’t try. But he does tease Jack the same way she did, care for him the same way, too. He always reminds Jack to tie his shoes up before they leave, and the exasperation is (mostly always) minimal. 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt,” he pleads - his tone slightly teasing. Jack usually sighs in an overly exaggerated manner, but complies anyway. Who is he to deny Sammy the simple pleasure of feeling secure in Jack’s safety. Even if he barely ever trips over them anymore. Two or three times a day, max.

It’s late August, and they’ve had a particularly tough week. Sammy’s been pulled off air twice this month, and has a pending review slated for some time next week. Jack’s been spacey and preoccupied for months, and they’ve been at each other’s throats all day. They’ve got an exhausting dinner meeting coming up, and neither of them are particularly looking forward to it. Sammy’s been quietly staring out the window for an hour, whilst Jack gets ready agonisingly slowly. He’d much rather spend the evening alone at home with his boyfriend, because pretending is the hardest thing he’s ever had to do. He gets it. But it just doesn’t make it easier. 

He slips on his suit jacket, and Sammy drags him into a kiss, “It’s gonna be hard to keep my hands off you tonight,” he murmurs into Jack’s mouth, and is rewarded with a scandalised noise, and a swat on the arm. 

“I love you too,” is the eventual response, and the affirming hum is all he needs. The apology for a day full of agitation goes unsaid, but received. Jack tugs on his dress shoes, and Sammy sighs loudly. “Laces,” he all but tuts, and Jack groans. 

“Do I have to?” 

Sammy pauses thoughtfully, before saying “C’mere,” and Jack obliges. 

He scoots over to their shared bed, and perches upon it, as Sammy kneels down on the floor next to him. He expertly double-knots the laces, but as Jack makes to move, Sammy stops him. 

“Wait, I. Uh.” Sammy, usually so confident in his words, suddenly seems to be grasping blindly for them. Jack is confused, until he notices the flush in Sammy’s cheeks. 

“You okay, Sammy?” 

He ducks his head, and peers up at Jack through his overly long bangs, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. Jack is suddenly speechless, too. 

“I. I’ve been waiting.” Sammy licks his lips nervously, before powering through, “I’ve been waiting for a time that seems right, because you deserve a ‘right’ time. A perfect moment. But Jack, every moment with you is a perfect moment, and I really can’t wait any longer. So. So please?” 

Jack’s mouth is dry, and he’s shaking. The air is unnaturally heavy, and Jack's heart has never beat so fast. He realises Sammy's waiting for a response, but he needs to make sure. “What’re you saying?” 

“I’m saying that I hope you’ll marry me? Be my husband?” He groans quietly, frustrated with his own awkwardness, before sighing. “You can say no, if it’s too much, but well. I love you, Jack. More than I ever thought possible. This past year has been hard, but it’d be harder without you, and I don’t ever want that to be my reality, so please. Let’s do life together, for real.” 

Jack laughs, loud. Freely. Full of unadulterated joy, and love, before joining his fiance on the floor and kissing him deeply. Sammy slips the band on his finger, and they both know they’ll have to remove it before leaving, but Sammy was right - this moment is perfect, and it’s theirs, and it’s everything. A thousand things lay unsaid, but they've got time - they've got forever.   
  
Jack can’t wait to tell Lily all about it.

“Tonight is going to be actual hell, huh?” he smiles at Sammy, before kissing him again, letting him laugh into his mouth. 

“There are worse things,” Sammy says softly, pulling away and brushing Jack’s hair out of his eyes, “as long as I have you, everything is worth it.” and Jack can't help but agree.


End file.
